The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and Toronto Central LHIN developed a Health Equity Impact Assessment (HEIA) tool designed to assist LHINs and health service providers in service planning. The Ministry had researched the most effective tools and frameworks for HEIA from other jurisdictions and developed a HEIA tool and how-to resource, first used for the Aging at Home initiative in 2008.
The Wellesley Institute partnered with MOHLTC and Toronto Central LHIN to consult practitioners, refine the tool, and pilot test it in 2009. Consultations were held with a range of GTA-area health service providers and consumers in March, the template was revised and a new step-by-step workbook developed, and this was piloted in the summer. MOHLTC has subsequently piloted HEIA further in several LHINs and it is currently being used in others.
The current HEIA template and workbook are available from the Toronto Central LHIN’s equity page.